Open Library Trustee Seats Give Community Opportunities To Be Advocates - Info For Both Those Interested In Running & In Voting for Trustees

MIDDLEBURGH- “In this day and age when there’s a lot of people out there wanting to ban books, I think boards in libraries are more important than ever,” Middleburgh Library Co-President, Diane Stewart, shared this reason to consider becoming a Trustee who advocates for the Library & for free speech. Teresa Pavoldi (Miss Terry) is The Middleburgh Library’s Director and explained it’s equally important to vote for Trustees on May 12th, “Because the Trustees are the ones who create policy for the Library and they’re the ones who take care of the fiscal health of the library. Without good Trustees, or if a seat is vacant, then we have less people doing those jobs. The Trustees' decisions impact the lives of people and the future of their community.”

Two Middleburgh Library Trustee three-year term seats are up and need to be filled to restore them to full maximum allotment of eleven members. Those interested in running (age 18+ who live in the Middleburgh School District), can pick up a petition to collect 25-30 signatures of supporters who also live in the Middleburgh School District, then return it by March 31st. Supporters can sign up to two petitions.

Seats will be filled by majority vote; Pavoldi & Stewart have an excitement at the thought of new members with different voices and opinions to challenge with new ideas and things they never would have thought of, and hope younger candidates closer to the 18-year-old minimum to show an interest in filling Board positions. 

Committees within the Board offer more opportunities to share your voice as a Trustee. Pavoldi said Stewart has been instrumental in encouraging their Board Committees to meet monthly in addition to their regular monthly Board meetings. Each May (the beginning of their year), Trustees fill committee openings for executive finance, policy, & personnel in groups of about three each. Another way you get to share your voice as a Trustee is by being vocal in the community on behalf of the Library; sharing about it and its programs while out and about. 

Per NYS, Board members are required to fulfill two credit hours of learning about different aspects of being a good Trustee through webinars or local lectures, and reading the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State. New Trustees will also receive training and an orientation. Stewart stated she still finds it helpful to refer to the Handbook for answers to questions they are all wondering about in regard to legal, social, and political issues that are affecting libraries and,  “The webinars are great because there’s access to them at any point. You can watch them at home, in the evening; you don’t always have to be on Zoom for the live one. Then you get credit for it. There are lots available, I just signed up for one in June that’s about law and regulations.” 

In Pavoldi’s words, “The most important qualification for an effective Trustee is a strong and genuine belief in public libraries and their mission in the community.” Stewart shared pride, “Just to be able to say I'm a Library Trustee!” Stewart & Pavoldi added, “The Library is a hub for so many things. People that don’t read can still come and have things faxed. There are plenty of people who don’t borrow books, but use it for other things. It’s a meeting space, it’s a place to learn, it’s a place to connect, it’s a place for information; you wanna adopt a dog? The person at the desk will find out all the information for you. Plus we connect you with other organizations in the area, not just in Middleburgh, but in the County.” Pavoldi continued, “Although there’s a staff and a Director, the overarching boss of the Library is that Board, and they create the policies that I follow to run the Library, so we can’t do it without them. If there wasn’t a Board here, the Library couldn’t run; the State wouldn’t even let them run, so that’s why we need those Board members!” 

Be a part of helping the Library run smoothly and provide resources by stopping in at 323 Main Street to get your Trustee petition at the circulation desk to return by March 31st, or by voting on May 12th from 12 PM - 8 PM in the community room. Once all the petitions have been turned in at the end of March, bios of the candidates will be released.

Follow Middleburgh Library on Facebook for events & updates; Stewart is looking forward to their March 28th Annual Crockpot Cook-off from 11 AM - 2 PM, “Tickets will be available at the door—just a $7 suggested donation for adults and $4 for children under five lets you sample as many delicious crockpot creations as you like! Enjoy a variety of flavors, savor some sweet desserts, and take a chance in our 50/50 raffle. Taste, vote for your favorites, and cheer on the winners! All proceeds support the Middleburgh Library, helping fund programs and materials for our community. Don’t miss this afternoon of great food and fun for a great cause! We have 3 categories: soup/stew, chili and others. Desserts are available by donation and water is  $1 a bottle. Winners will receive gift certificates. To enter you need to register with the library and have your item to the library by 10:30 with a serving spoon.” 

One of the main responsibilities of a Trustee is fundraising to make sure they have the money they need to run the Library. Fundraising has allowed Stewart to be proud of being a part of the Library getting their shed, replacing their broken water fountain last year, and getting to be a familiar face at events like the Annual Crockpot Cook-off, which Stewart described as, “Just a wonderful social event; people have come for years and years and they just sit and visit and that’s just so much fun!”